


Not Broken, Just Bent (Learn To Love Again)

by Baamon5evr



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Mixed Signals, POV Alternating, Past Infidelity, Post-Divorce, Single Parents, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 04:43:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6689707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baamon5evr/pseuds/Baamon5evr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Steve are two divorced fathers who manage to make a connection with each other but is Steve ready for something so deep again after his failed marriage?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Broken, Just Bent (Learn To Love Again)

**Author's Note:**

> This became longer than I intended but here it is. The Samsteve tag has been pretty dry and not Samsteve oriented lately so this is my humble offering.

Steve was young when he married Tony Stark.

They had known each other a little while longer than when they began dating. Steve thought Tony to be vain, egotistical and self-destructive with no regard for his collateral damage but he had said some right things in between his general abrasiveness and he could be sweet when he wanted to be.

A lot of people were against the marriage. His investors thought Tony Stark marrying a man would negatively affect Stark International. Steve's family felt Tony's personality would wear down on him eventually and others felt Steve was too young to be with Tony. There was an 11-year gap between them after all but Steve had always been mature.

That fact only added to their problems because Tony could be so _immature_.

Steve wanted to settle down. He didn't mind quitting his job when Tony asked him to but he couldn't sit inside all day doing nothing while Tony worked and even when he was home he was in his lab more times than not. Steve could fall asleep on the couch, wake up at 3 am and find Tony still slaving away. The glass of alcohol that would be next to him had been becoming more and more permanent but Steve ignored it. They just needed to settle into married life and Steve needed to stop being so clingy. He needed a hobby or a club or something to take up his time at the house while Tony worked.

"So Mary and Richard Parker from my New York branch had an accident leaving them both dead and their ten-month old son an orphan. He has an aunt and uncle but they're too old to devote all their time to a baby. They don't exactly have a lot of it anyway which is just great. This is going to be a PR disaster." Tony told him one night.

"That's sad. Wish people got more time for things like..."

Oh.

_Ohh..._

And thus began the beginning of the end.

Maybe it was always going to end but Steve was blind to that.

In the end Tony's drinking became impossible to ignore and Steve could only take 'I'm sorry' so many times after Tony's drunken cheating escapades. Steve tried to hold it together for Peter because that little boy quickly became his world, however putting Band-Aids over gushing wounds didn't make the wound stop bleeding, it was just a desperate bid to made sure it didn't stain the carpet but eventually no amount of bleach was going to help.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked as Steve packed his bags. He could smell the liquor wafting off of him from across the room.

"I'm leaving, Tony. I can't do this anymore."

"You aren't going anywhere." Tony said with a scoff of disbelief. Steve couldn't even be mad at that because he made this cycle of empty threats and promises a routine but he was breaking that trend now.

"Yeah? You watch me." Steve continued to pack his bags when Tony came up behind him and started pressing kisses to his neck and moving his hands over Steve's chest and his hips.

"Stop packing. You're acting ridiculous." Steve could feel his resolve breaking as Tony began kissing that one spot behind his ear.

"Hi Stark." A voice said breaking the spell Tony was so well versed at casting on him. Steve pulled away from Tony and looked thankfully towards Natasha who was staring coldly at his husband.

"James is in the car waiting with Peter. His bags are already packed and loaded up and your mom's set up rooms for you guys."

"Thank you Nat. I'll be there soon; I need to talk to Tony." She gave Tony another warning look before walking away.

"If this is about Christine I already told you it meant nothing. I was shitfaced. Now put the bags away and let me--"

"No Tony! I don't want you to do anything. You are always drunk and it always means nothing to you but it means something to me, it means everything to me. You are destroying me! I can't deal with you! You take everything from me and don't give anything back until I'm left with nothing to give to anyone else!"

"Calm down, you're being over-dramatic." Tony said rolling his eyes.

"How's this for over-dramatic? The more I look at you the more I resent you. The more I smell the whiskey hanging off of you the more I hate you. The more I hear your voice the angrier I am until here I am now."

"Now you, what? Now you're making some kind of grand ultimatum to me, Stevie? You'll leave if I don't clean myself up, sober up, tie myself down to you?"

"Tie yourself down to me? I'm your husband, you shouldn't... you know what? It doesn't matter. There is no ultimatum, Tony. I'm just done. I'm finished. I'm giving up. I am _so_ out of love with you. I am so done. I can't give you anything else and, frankly, I don't want to." He knew his words hurt but he'd been hurting for so long and suffering silently, he wasn't going to be silent anymore.

"You're lying. You still love me." Tony's voice trembled with emotion as he uttered his response.

"I don't." Steve replied succinctly.

"You do. Yes, you do." Tony grabbed his face and started pressing his lips on his, trying to drown him in kisses but the whiskey on his breath was suffocating and Steve pushed him away.

"I don't! I don't love you. I can't! I can't survive if I love you. There isn't anything left in me for you. I wanted you to choose me and our son over the booze and the sex and whatever demons you have but I'm not going to wait around any more. I need to be there for Peter and I can't if I'm taking care of you too. I need to go. I'm going. I'm leaving."

"You're not taking Peter away from me."

"You didn't want him in the first place anyway. You're not coming around my son until you get yourself together." He grabbed his bag and walked away from his life and did his best to ignore the sounds of the wound dripping blood onto the carpet. The carpet was beyond saving and so was his marriage so he filed for divorce and hoped Tony would pick up his pieces for Peter's sake at least if he didn't drink himself into a grave first.

**~*~*~**

Sam was young when he married Misty Knight.

It seemed like the right thing to do since she was pregnant with his son. He was 19 at the time and completely out of his depth but he did right by his own so that meant standing up and being a man. The wedding was small, mostly just family along with Misty's friend Colleen and Sam's friend Riley as maid of honor and best man respectively, but they didn't feel the need to announce the shotgun wedding anyway. Which was not to say he didn't love Misty because he did but he found a deeper, purer love in his son Miles and his love for her was a pale shadow. She probably felt that even though he tried to hide it. They kept it together for some years before he found out about Danny Rand and confronted her.

"You know this isn't working!"

"That gives you an excuse to step out on our marriage?! What about our son?!"

"I am not saying what I did was right. It wasn't, I get that. But I needed something, something for me."

"Do you love him? Do you love Danny?"

"I don't know, Sam. I can't lie to your face and tell you I don't but I don't know if I do. What I do know is that I am drained."

"I am too. You think I don't wonder what could've been? But it didn't happen like that. We have a son and I have been working my ass off for the both of you to make sure you guys don't want for anything. To make sure you're okay."

"I know that. I know how hard you work but that's all you do. You work so much you're barely here. Even when you're here, you're not."

"I am trying. I know I'm not perfect but I am trying here Misty."

"I don't want you to try. I have nothing to give you. Nothing! There is nothing of me left. I haven't spent any of my adult life as myself, I don't even know myself. I can't do this anymore."

"We have a son. What are we supposed to tell him?'

"Would you rather he watch us fight all the time? Would you rather us eventually hate each other for not living our lives?" Sam could feel tears welling up in his eyes.

"Misty, I don't... What do you want me to do?"

"I don't want this anymore, Sam. I never did. I know you never did either. I want a divorce. I don't want this." Sam looked down as tears fell down both his and Misty's face.

"There's nothing left. There's nothing." He knew she was right but it was harder than it sounded to let go. Eventually he managed it. He signed the divorce papers with nary a protest and worked out an agreeable custody agreement. He moved out so Miles didn't have to go through moving on top of his parents divorcing. He wondered how his life became this, what wrong choices he had made but this is what life was. He had no choice but to pick up and move on.

**~*~*~**

Steve sat outside of the principal's office. It had become a regular spot for him over the three years since he and Tony finalized the divorce. Peter hadn't taken it well. He was only six at the time and didn't understand why he couldn't be with Tony anymore, why he wasn't around. As a result, he became more introverted but kids were cruel and teased him and when they did Peter would snap back with a wiseass comment and a fight would ensue. So, Steve found himself sitting outside the principal's office more often than not. He looked up as Principal J. Jonah Jameson waved him in. Steve was certain Peter was the bane of his existence, the way the man acted. He walked in and made to close the door when he heard a voice exclaim.

"Wait! I'm here. I'm here." He looked back to see a Black man in khakis and a tucked in button up shirt jogging towards the door. His pristine look didn't match the harried, weary sound of his voice.

"Lovely of you to join us, Mr. Wilson." Jameson said, his voice full of disdain. So maybe it wasn’t just reserved for Peter then. Mr. Wilson walked past Steve with a brief glance before sitting down next to a boy Steve had never seen before. The boy was holding an ice pack on his hand. Steve closed the door and sat next to Peter who had a busted lip and an ice pack in his hand holding it to his head. He looked down, refusing to meet Steve's gaze.

"Now gentlemen, this isn't the first time we've found ourselves here in this office discussing Peter and Miles but here we are again. Though I have to say it’s refreshing getting to do both these meetings at the same time. Birds of a feather, I guess." He said the children's names like they were curses. Steve rose his eyebrow at the tone but Mr. Wilson spoke before he could.

"What exactly happened?" He asked.

"Well, according to our surveillance footage, your sons attacked Flash Gordon and Harry Osborne together." The principal played the footage then. It showed Flash and Harry sitting at desks on either side of Peter. Flash was leaning over and saying something to his son behind the teacher's back. Suddenly Peter got up and pulled Flash out of his seat before throwing him onto the floor. Harry came up behind Peter, turned him around and then punched him in the face, sending him headfirst into one of the desks. Out of nowhere Miles ran up and punched Harry. He pulled Peter up and placed him behind him as the teacher broke the fight up.

In summary, it didn’t look good.

"Now, I know that since your respective divorces things have been hard but I've got a school to run and I can't have this sort of behavior. My students can't act like animals."

"I'm sorry." Mr. Wilson said.

"Well, I've heard that from you more--"

"I wasn't finished actually. I'm sorry but I want to know more." Steve and Jameson stared at the man with varying levels of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know what that kid said and I want to know if their parents were called too."

"Mr. Wilson--"

"Peter is your son's name right? Peter Rogers?" The man asked Steve. His voice was softer when talking to him, gentler.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Miles told me about your son."

"Dad." Miles said, poking his side and giving him a look but the man ignored him and turned back to the principal.

"I know that Peter here has been bullied by Flash Gordon and Harry Osbourne for the past few months and I know you've done nothing about it just like you didn't do anything when my son was being bullied. It was probably so you wouldn't lose Norman Osbourne's money but that's just speculation. Now I'm not saying my son was right for fighting and his mother and I will be discussing his punishment but he wouldn't have been fighting if you had done your job in the first place."

"Peter, is this true?" Steve looked at his son who still refused to meet his eyes.

"Peter, answer me."

"Yes." The boy said so low he could barely be heard.

"Flash and Harry like to make fun of the fact that Peter's parents are divorced and that he has two dads. I remember how upset I was when they were making fun of me so I didn't want him to be alone." Steve watched Peter smile at Miles. A smile was a rare sight on his face and so Steve had to protect it, he had to protect his son even if it meant going on a war path. If that meant dropping Tony's name in conversation to get his point across well... could he really be blamed?

**~*~*~**

Sam watched as the poor bullied kid, Peter, ran ahead of his father out of the principal’s office. He ignored his father’s calls as he made his way down the hall without a backwards glance. The kid had remained silent while his father ripped J. Jonah Jameson a new one for neglecting to inform him of his son being bullied and doing nothing about it for a paycheck. Turned out Peter’s father was just as wealthy if not wealthier than the Osbourne kid’s and now it was just a matter of the principal figuring out which millionaire he didn’t want to piss off more.

“Dad, can I?” Miles asked, looking pointedly down the hall at the sulking kid.

“Go ahead, don’t leave the building though. Try and herd him towards the lobby.” Miles ran off after his friend leaving Sam alone with his fellow parent. He looked over at the man as he sighed, looking sadly at his son as he turned the corner.

“Hard, isn’t it?” Sam questioned. The man jumped as if he forgot Sam was there and then turned to look at him.

“Yeah, a lot harder than I thought it’d be.” The blonde stuck his hand out towards Sam.

“I’m Steve Rogers by the way.”

“Sam Wilson. Nice to meet you.”

“Actually, it’s really nice to meet you. Thank you for that in there, for telling me about what’s been going on with Peter.”

“Hey, you’re the one with the connections to knock Jameson off his high horse so thank you.” Sam said, as they began walking down the hall. Steve scoffed at that.

“It’s just a threat. Peter hasn’t seen Tony in the last year and hasn’t talked to him at all in 6 months. I’m just hoping Jameson’s the kind of guy to take the bait.” Sam wasn’t living under a rock. Tony Stark’s marriage to a male artist from Brooklyn had been splashed all over the tabloids and their very public, nasty divorce and subsequent custody battle had been all over TMZ. Stark had since been through a failed stint in rehab and had been arrested due to alcohol and drug related crimes that he was never prosecuted for. Money talks and Jameson was the type to listen especially if it was from a volatile, narcissistic, alcoholic. But Sam wouldn’t describe Steve’s ex as such, not just because he was Peter’s father but because no matter what had gone down if anyone badmouthed Misty they’d answer to Sam’s two fists in a second.

“Don’t worry. If you can’t get your ex-husband down here I can call my ex-wife. She’s a cop, I’m sure she can dig up something on Jameson. A car note, a warrant, a citation. Whatever works.”

“Isn’t that blackmail and illegal?” Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Sam replied with a shrug. Steve stared a moment before the corner of his lip quirked up in a smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” As they rounded the corner they could see Peter and Miles sitting by the vending machine in the lobby. Miles had a pack of skittles that he was sharing with Peter. Sam rolled his eyes but didn’t bother getting mad about it. His kid did good today so he wasn't about to take the candy. Sometimes bullies just needed to be knocked on their asses and Sam wasn’t going to chastise his kid for doing it, Danny would probably agree with him and though Misty might have a thing or two to say she’d probably be outvoted in terms of punishment.

“Your dad’s really not so bad. He’s trying, you know? My Nana says 'all we can ever really do is try. We’ll make mistakes cause that’s a part of being human but it’s okay, you just keep trying.' That’s what your dad’s doing. It’s not his fault your other dad’s not the greatest he can be. But I think he’s probably trying too, he’s just making more mistakes than anything else right now and that’s okay too. He’ll come around.” Miles said to Peter.

“You think?”

“Yeah man. Things were rough after my parents’ divorce but now it’s better. My dad and my mom’s boyfriend Danny get along great and I still see both my mom and dad almost every day. It’s still in the hard stage for you, it’ll get better and then think of all the awesomeness. Double the birthday gifts, double the Christmas gifts and double the Thanksgiving dinners. What kid could want more?” Miles said with exaggerated excitement, his hands flailing excitedly causing him to drop a couple skittles on the floor but his antics worked. Peter started laughing at that point.

“You raised a great son.” Steve said softly beside him.

“You did too, don’t doubt yourself so much.” Sam patted his shoulder comfortingly before walking over to the boys.

“Alright troublemakers, time’s up. We gotta get home to Mom, Miles. You’ll see Peter tomorrow.” The two boys did some elaborate handshake before breaking apart.

"I'll see you around I guess." Steve said to Sam before walking over to Peter. The boy grabbed Steve's hand willingly and walked out with him, throwing another smile back at Miles before leaving. Sam crouched down before his son, checking his fist under the ice pack. It was less swollen now but still red.

"How hard did you hit the kid?"

"Just enough to get him off of Peter and then I stopped."

"I don't condone fighting but sometimes you gotta get physical and I’m proud of you for standing up for your friend." Sam rubbed some nondescript smudges from Miles’ face and brushed a hand through his hair.

"I remember how I felt when you and Mom got a divorce. I just wanted Peter to know it got better and that it wasn't the worst thing in the world." Sam smiled at how mature and intelligent his son was. He kissed his cheek and pulled him into a hug.

"I love you."

"I love you too. You know, Peter's dad could probably use a friend too. Peter tells me he's lonely sometimes." Sam knew that tone in Miles' voice all too well. He had been trying to set him up ever since Misty officially got back together with Danny. They broke up while the divorce was happening but they got back together. Sam had been upset at first. He was the man his wife cheated on him with after all but Danny wasn't a bad guy and eventually Sam was able to accept him as a part of his life now. Miles figured Sam should have someone too and so he made that his mission.

"Is that so?" Sam asked, picking Miles up and walking out with him on his hip, he wasn't going to be able to do this soon but Miles was small for nine years old.

"Yeah, I'm just saying."

"Uh-huh." Despite Miles antics, reaching out wasn't a horrible idea. Rogers seemed like he was floundering a bit and Sam figured he could use a hand.

**~*~*~**

Steve had taken a moment and let Peter calm down before he approached him to talk.

"Hey. Whatcha doing?" Steve said, walking into his son's room at his mother's place. Steve still hadn't moved out even though the divorce had been finalized for some time. Tony's behavior was still erratic as he still hadn't sobered up and was in and out of Peter's life. Steve tried but never felt like he was enough for him by himself. Peter adored Grandma Sarah so Steve had stayed. Peter was looking into his microscope and looked back at Steve after a moment.

"I'm observing the moon. We're supposed to have a red moon pretty soon. I was just documenting the days leading up to it." Steve smiled at Peter's enthusiasm. He was so smart. He built things Steve didn't even understand and was so obviously meant for more in life than living in his grandmother's two-bedroom apartment. If Steve was inclined to use the Stark name to his advantage, Peter could probably be in expensive private schools and living in a loft downtown or something but Steve couldn't and wouldn't subject him to more public scrutiny by the media and scorn for things beyond his control. It was his and Tony's decisions that had messed everything up.

Steve moved forward and sat on Peter's bed. His latest obsession was spiders for some reasons, probably due to the fact that Natasha loved them and had a pet tarantula much to Bucky's disdain. Thanks to her he had a spider bedspread that creeped Steve out but he ignored that and focused on his son.

"Can we talk?" Peter shrugged and sat next to his father.

"Why didn't you tell me you were being bullied?" Peter shrugged again, a habit he picked up from Steve, shaking his head a little.

"It just... It didn't seem that important. You have other things to worry about."

"Peter, you're my number one priority. If something is happening, I need to know."

"They were just picking on me for being a nerd at first and liking science. I didn't mind that, I didn't care. Then they started making fun of you and Dad. Making fun of me because I had two dads and they were divorced. They said..."

"It's okay. You can tell me."

"They said 'your faggot parents can't even get marriage right.' They said I was a freak because you can't be raised by two fathers. Then they made fun of me because of Dad's problems. He was on the news again. He was drunk." Steve was appalled but unsurprised. Tony hadn’t changed much which was news to no one but it was shocking to hear about children saying something that cruel. He couldn't really blame the children; it was their parents that raised them with such malice but his son was on the brunt of that. He knew he couldn't protect him from everything but it still hurt to know he hadn't trusted him enough to tell him.

"You could've told me this was going on."

"I thought you would tell me not to fight or something, I don't know."

"Well, that would have been the biggest load of hypocrisy I've heard this year." Steve looked behind him as his mother entered the room. Honestly, he didn't know what to say and she always did.

'Practice. I had you and I practically raised Bucky and his sisters too. It's a breeze by the time the third kid comes to you with the same problem the first two did.'

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"I used to get called at least twice a week because your Papa was fighting. He didn't like bullies and didn't have a chance in hell of beating them, small as he was back then but your Uncle Bucky would jump in and then Aunt Becca and there I was in the principal's office again." Peter's eyes lit up and he looked over to Steve with a new glimmer in his eye.

God, Steve loved his mom.

"Really?"

"What can I say? I was scrappy and they were mouthy so it didn't mix well."

"So you're not mad at me for fighting?"

"Of course not. I just wish you had talked to me about everything. I wish Miles' father hadn't known before me."

"I told him not to tell." Peter mumbled.

"He was looking out for you. I'm grateful. I’m just happy you're okay and I'm going to be talking to Flash and Harry's parents."

"Papa, you don't have to."

"Yes, I do. To protect you, I do." Peter stared for a moment before launching up into Steve's arms and hugging him tightly.

"Thanks Papa. Love you." Steve smiled, hugging him tightly.

"I love you too."

"Well, if you love him don't crush him to death. Poor thing can't breathe. I've got dinner ready when you boys are." Steve loosened his hold but couldn't quite find it in him to let go but then that was part of the problem. He couldn't find it in him to let Tony go and now here he was.

**~*~*~**

Sam jogged leisurely through the park near his house. It was early and the track within the park was covered in a light fog but Sam let the quiet of the early morning soothe him. The only sounds were nature and other joggers who nodded at him or threw him a smile but largely kept to themselves. He was used to this routine in the mornings. Misty dropped Miles off at school and Sam was the one to pick him up but it was slightly later than was usual for him. Usually he was out at around 5 AM but now it was 6 AM and though the joggers were polite it wasn't the familiar faces he was used to. He didn't mind that so much though, listening with one ear to the bikes and footsteps coming up on his side. He had zoned out when suddenly a gust of wind brushed past his side accompanied by a large, fit figure and a flash of blonde.

"On your left." Sam looked at the figure running past him, they looked vaguely familiar but Sam was a little beyond trying to place them right now. So he didn't say anything. He was good for another ten minutes before the blast of wind came again.

"On your left." Sam looked at the figure with confusion.

 _What the hell? Is this dude related to Usain Bolt?_ He thought.

The figure looked back suddenly with a large, roguish grin on his face and Sam could see him clearly.

"On my left, got it." Steve flashed him a larger grin before continuing on his run. Another ten minutes later when he heard Steve fast approaching him he tried to push himself harder but it wasn't much use.

"Don't say it, don't you say it!"

"On your left."

"Come on!" Sam tried to run to catch up but ultimately gave up that fight. Steve found him collapsed against a tree after and made small talk with him.

"You need a doctor?"

"I need a lung, what the hell was that man? Are you a terminator in disguise?" Steve shrugged in response holding his hand out to pull Sam up, Sam pulled him down instead. Steve chuckled at his new position.

"That's payback for being an asshole." Steve shrugged again but sat up and leaned against the tree next to Sam.

"I haven't seen you in a while, how's Peter?" Sam said, catching his breath still.

"He's good. Principal Jameson decided not to place him on suspension, he got three days’ worth of detention for fighting and Jameson and I had a talk with Flash and Harry's fathers."

"About time. Guess the threat of Tony Stark got to him."

"Please, he's probably more afraid of you. You really took him to task." Sam shrugged in response.

"You did pretty well yourself, Papa Bear." Sam replied, knocking his shoulder against Steve's, drawing a smile from him.

"So how's Miles?"

"He's good, he's with his Mom and her boyfriend right now. He got three days’ detention as well and a talking to from his Mother but he's all good now. He actually..."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Miles is under the impression that you and I should be friends now." Steve looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Really? Why's that?"

"Apparently, Peter thinks you're lonely." Steve opened his mouth before closing it.

"Hey, it's okay. I didn't exactly look for friends immediately after my divorce but I joined this support group a little while later. Yeah, I know, support groups are universally seen as lame but it's actually not that bad. It's for divorced parents, some of the parents there do co-parenting, some are single parents. It helped me a lot." Steve still looked indecisive about it so Sam turned a large grin on him.

"And hey, I'll be there." Steve's face did something before he smiled and looked over to Sam.

"Well, why didn't you say that before? That changes everything."

"I know. I'm glad we're in agreement." They shared one more laugh between them that tapered off into comfortable silence.

"I'm not going to force you or coerce you into anything but if you want to come by, we have snacks."

"So if your awe-inspiring presence doesn't get me through the door, Twinkies and Ho-Hos will do?"

"I am offended sir. Oreos and Chips Ahoy are also available and fruit and gluten-free choices if that's your thing."

"It's not my thing."

"The snacks or the meeting?"

"The gluten free part but I may check it out, just maybe, we'll see if your aura has as much staying power as the cookies." Steve quipped standing up. Sam grinned slightly and let Steve lift him into a standing position when he offered his hand again.

"You want to grab a smoothie?" Steve asked, pointing towards the smoothie truck across a field in the park. Sam shrugged because why not. Steve smiled again and walked ahead of Sam. Sam paused for a moment as a sudden realization hit him. He was definitely just flirting with Steve and he was flirting back. Sam resumed his walk as that sunk in. He knew for sure Steve liked guys, he was married to a guy for goodness sake's, but maybe he was the type of guy who flirted with everyone as a personality trait, maybe he was just being nice. As Sam walked behind him and glanced down at the other man's perky ass he knew which one he preferred.

**~*~*~**

Steve wasn't exactly sure how but some way he found himself walking into Peter's school on a Saturday evening and walking to the auditorium where apparently this meeting for divorced parents were. He felt slightly silly doing this but he made himself walk ahead. His mother had encouraged him to go and Bucky and Natasha took Peter for the weekend, he didn't really have much else to do that day so he made himself swallow his pride and walk into the auditorium. The room was pretty big but in the space between the rows of seats and the stage was a table full of various snacks set up almost like a continental breakfast and a few feet away there was about 15 chairs set up in a circle. Steve looked around and spotted Sam talking to a brunette man before he looked over to the door and saw Steve. He smiled widely at him and Steve couldn’t help but smile back. He found Sam’s smile to be disconcertingly infectious.

“You came!”

“Well, you promised me Oreos, Chips Ahoy and your presence so of course I came.” Inwardly Steve face palmed. The easy flirtation between himself and Sam was not entirely in his control, apparently his brain to mouth filter was completely off right now but Sam simply looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“I am nothing if not a man of my word.” Sam said, leading him to the table with the snacks and nodding towards the cookies. Steve grabbed one and bit into it, looking up at Sam as he chewed.

“Good?”

“Good.” Sam introduced Steve to the other people in the room and Steve actually found himself enjoying the meeting. Speaking to the other parents, sharing tips and advice and experiences actually felt like it was helping to get some of the burden off of him just from the few hours they talked. Steve ended up walking out of the meeting feeling a little better than he did when he walked in. He looked back at Sam as he said goodbye to Scott and then caught up to Steve.

“So, beyond my glowing aura, how was it?”

“Surprisingly good. I actually enjoyed myself. I didn’t really think I would. I did some counselling after the divorce but it didn’t really help as much as my family hoped it would.”

“I did some counseling before and after my divorce with Misty and Miles and by myself. We got married young because she got pregnant and we figured that was the right thing to do. It kind of stifled the both of us. I worked way too much and wasn’t home nearly enough and I wasn’t there for her.”

“Did… did she or you…”

“Cheat?”

“Sorry, that’s a really personal question. You don’t have to answer; I don’t even know why I asked.”

“It’s okay. She did cheat but I’m not going to put our marriage ending on that or on her, we were both young and ultimately we weren’t ready. We hadn’t really experienced life and that played a part in it.” Steve nodded in understanding as they walked outside of the school, waving goodbye to the other parents who drove there.

“We had good times though, she and I, and we’re still friends today. What about you and Tony?” Steve scoffed a little at that.

“Oh no, I don’t see us being friends.”

“When’s the last time you guys talked? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“We don’t talk. I get news about him through TMZ and if I need to pass along a message about Peter I call his best friend, Rhodey.”

“Did it really end that badly between you two?”

“Oh yeah, it was bad. See the thing with me and Tony is we were… fast and hard. Everything was either too much or not enough for him. His too much wasn’t enough for me and my too much wasn’t nearly enough for him. We worked in extremes, we didn't have a middle ground and in the end we fell apart. Tony was falling apart and I tried to ignore it. When it was just me and he cheated and drank and got rowdy and too much it was easy to forgive him because it was only me and I loved him and hey, it could be worse. It wasn’t like our fights got physical. When we got Peter he stopped, he slowed down but it didn’t last and there was only so many times I could forgive him then. I wasn’t the only one being hurt and I didn’t matter nearly as much as my son did. So I left and I partly hoped that would get him to clean himself up but it didn’t and I just came to a place where I decided that I needed to move on, you know?” Sam reached out and placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder comfortingly.

“I get it. My mother always says that when a door closes, a window open. I believe that.” Steve looked at Sam a moment and the silence stretched before he looked at his shoulder where Sam’s hand remained. Sam jumped and drew his hand back, wringing his hands slightly.

“Um, anyway, I better get going. As good as those cookies were I’m pretty starved so I’m going to get some lunch then hang out for the rest of the day.” Sam said nodding, before he turned. Steve watched him walk away for a moment but felt compelled to say something instead of just letting him go.

“Do you like Thai food?” Sam turned to look at him inquisitively.

“What’s that?”

“Thai food. Do you like it? Because there’s this Thai restaurant not too far from here and if you want we could grab some food.” Sam gave him a look of indecisiveness and Steve worried he was coming on too strong.

“It’s not a date or anything, it’s just… lunch. Peter will be glad that I spent the day with a friend.” Sam held the look of indecision a moment longer before he smiled at Steve.

“Using your kid to coerce me? That’s dirty pool, Rogers.”

“Well, whatever keeps me in your effervescent company.” Steve physically willed the blush he felt coming on back as he watched as Sam chuckled and mumbled something under his breath before he walked back over to Steve.

“Okay, Thai food. Why not?” Steve felt something rising in his chest as he and Sam walked side by side towards the restaurant, he didn’t know what it was but it both exhilarated and scared him.

**~*~*~**

Sam had had many friends in his life, he still has a pretty good circle but he never had a friend like Steve. He hung out with him almost every day for the past two months. They flirted more than Sam had with anyone else in his life yet he would be sure to make sure Sam knew it was not a date or anything but platonic which was usually followed up by about three flirtatious comments. Sam didn’t do anything about it, he just let it be and flowed with it. He was fine with the ebb and flow of the relationship as it was and Peter and Miles were happy that they got to spend time with each other outside of school. Steve came over to Sam’s place with Peter and he and Miles tore through the place while he and Steve talked more and got to know each other.

He learned that Steve had been an up and coming artist when he met Tony and he shared more about their relationship as well as his first love Peggy and Sam reciprocated by talking about Misty. They talked about their families and friends, their childhoods and their dreams for the future and small things like their favorite movies and colors and it was easy conversations that didn’t take too much out of either of them and yet came so easily that even the deep things just seemed to be delivered without hurting as much as they could’ve or should’ve. At least that’s how it felt for Sam, he wasn’t sure about how Steve felt about it until he brought it up.

“It’s so weird, I never really had an easy time just telling people things. Peggy said I didn’t know how to carry on conversation, but with you it’s just easy. I don’t know Sam, maybe you’re my soulmate or something.” Sam looked over at Steve as he was sitting on a stool at the ice cream parlor they had decided to take the kids to one Sunday evening. Steve licked his vanilla bean off his spoon before looking over to Sam, his eyes widened slightly and Sam already knew he was going to say something to retract that statement thus leaving him confused again so he cut him, not wanting to deal with that.

“Have you looked at any more apartments lately?” He asked. Steve had made the decision that he was ready to move out of his mother’s place despite her protests that he didn’t have to go. Steve felt otherwise. A lot of his and Peter’s things were still in boxes in storage or stuffed in closets so they needed the move.

“I… I’ve been offered a place.” Steve said in a grim voice. Sam rose his eyebrow at that.

“Meaning?”

“Tony’s friend, Bruce, called me and told me that Tony is in rehab now and that he bought a place in Manhattan for Peter and I. It’s a part of the whole making amends step of the process.”

“That’s great, right?” Steve hesitated and looked down. Suddenly Sam understood.

“Or it would be, except it’s Tony and you’re worried that there’s strings attached.”

“I don’t want him to think that me accepting this apartment is confirmation that when he gets out he and I can be together again because that’s not what I want and I don’t want to feel like I owe him something because he got us this place to live. But…”

“But you also don’t want to pass up an opportunity to get a place for yourself and Peter. Plus, if the kid knows his Dad got you the place he’ll be happy his father is getting better and getting help, but conversely he might also think you guys are getting back together.”

“I… yeah, that’s pretty much it.” Steve said, making a cross between a scoff and a laugh.

“How do you get me so well?” Sam shrugged.

“Maybe I am your soulmate.” He said, leaning down to sip his milkshake. Steve looked over at him fondly before looking down.

“I don’t know what to do. Ma is wary of it, she doesn’t want me tied to Tony at all anymore but I always will be. We have a son together.”

“What did your sister-in-law say? She’s a PI, right? What’d she find out?”

“According to Natasha, Tony signed a five-year contract which would leave Peter and I rent free to live in a duplex apartment in Manhattan. It looks clean, it looks like Tony is actually doing this without ulterior motives. It’s just hard to trust that.”

“Maybe you should take this leap. I mean, I don’t know the guy but I’m going to play devil’s advocate here. Maybe he just wants to do something good for his son, and for you. I’m sure he knows he hurt you and in his mind this is just a small way to make up for it. He had a disease and it was bad but he’s trying.” Steve shook his head and looked down.

“I’ve been thinking about me and Tony’s marriage more and more since I met you. It was doomed from the start really but I had a part in that too. I was my worse self when I was with him and I brought out the worse in him. He didn’t even want kids, it was one of the things we first agreed on when we were dating. Then I stopped working, which I didn't want to do, and I got... I almost don’t want to say it like this because it sounds horrible, but I got bored and when he told me about Peter it seemed like a good idea. We saw how well that ended. I wouldn’t change having Peter. Tony would still have his issues with or without him, I just… I know I wasn’t perfect in our marriage. I couldn’t figure out how to say no because even though the bad times outweighed the good, the good times were _really_ good. But the bad times were really bad and I don’t want to be tempted to go back to it. I don’t know if I’m strong enough not to if Tony comes back and he’s the person I fell in love with even though I know that I want…” Steve looked down and bit his lip. Sam reached out and grabbed his hand in his, rubbing his thumb into the back of his hand.

“Whatever you decide to do, you have to trust yourself to make the right decision for yourself and for Peter. I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. Peter is a great kid. I can tell he loves you so much and you love him. You’re doing your best and you’re not wrong for being skeptical about this. I also think that you could be missing an opportunity here but it’s up to you. Whatever you choose, I know that you’ll be making the best decision for you and if you can’t trust yourself then I’ll trust you for you.” Steve looked over at Sam with teary, red eyes and an emotion Sam couldn’t quite decipher in his eyes.

“Sam, I…”

“Hey Papa, can me and Miles… are you okay?” Peter said as he ran up to where they sat with Miles in tow. The two had polished off their treats in record time before moving to the bevy of arcade games. Sam saw Miles and Peter look down at his and Steve’s intertwined hands before he softly pulled their hands away. He didn’t miss the look the two boys gave each other at that. Steve wiped his face clear, not bothering to hide the tears.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You look like you were crying.”

“I was crying but not because I’m sad it’s because I’m happy. We have a new place to live.”

“Really? Wait, you bought us a house from inside the ice cream shop?” Steve and Sam laughed a little at Peter’s confusion.

“No, um, actually your Dad got us a place in Manhattan.” Peter pretty much lit up like a Christmas tree at that.

“Really?”

“Yup.”

“Is Dad gonna be there?”

“No, he’s still in treatment but when he’s better you’ll see him.” Peter deflated just a little but he still seemed happy.

“Are… are you and Dad going to get back together?”

“No, I’m not getting back together with your Dad.”

“Okay. Well… can I ask another question?”

“Sure.”

“Mr. Sam, do you want to come with Papa and me to the art museum on Wednesday? We’re going to go afterschool and it’s free on Wednesdays.” Sam looked closely at Peter. He was glancing at Miles from the corner of his eye as well as looking between Sam and Steve. Sam looked down hiding his smile before glancing at Steve to see if he noticed this as well. He was also trying to hide a smile.

“If your Dad’s okay with it, I’d love for Miles and I to join you guys.” The three of them turned to Steve questioningly.

“Sure, why not? I can teach you a thing or two.” Steve said, directing that comment towards Sam. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to catch some double entendre in that but either way he turned to the boys who were celebrating and chatting amongst themselves excitedly. He was wholly aware of the fact that Steve was still staring at the side of his face and that his heart was pounding.

Boy was he in trouble.

**~*~*~**

Steve loved the art museum. His mother and Bucky’s Ma, when she was alive, used to take them along with Bucky’s sisters to visit all the time on the days that it was free to get in and as a result Steve took Peter to visit almost every week. Walking through with Sam, Peter and Miles looking over all of the exhibits felt right. Sam wasn’t much of an art buff but Miles took exceptional interest in everything Steve said about the exhibits so slowly but surely Steve and Miles ended up drifting slightly ahead of Sam and Peter who casually looked over art work while Miles and Steve gathered as much information as they could.

“This one’s by Diego Rivera, I’ve heard of him. He was Frida Kahlo’s husband right? I saw him in that movie with Selma Hayek, but I'm not supposed to tell Mom I've seen it since it's rated R.” Miles commented following Steve to one of the paintings. Steve chuckled lightly in response. He had to be the responsible parent so rated R movies were a no-go area for Peter, at least with him. He knew for a fact that Bucky and Natasha had probably already let him see one or two movies that Steve wouldn't. He looked over and studied the painting that had captured Miles' attention.

“It’s called Symbolic Landscape. Diego Rivera painted it after he and Frida Kahlo got divorced.” Steve explained, looking over the painting depicting a barren wasteland.

“The tree looks like a person’s body and the rocks kind of look like hands and I think I can see a face in one of them.” Miles observed.

“Uh-huh. I always think of this as an expression of love lost. He lost his wife and everything that their relationship was is left in ruin, in a barren land.” Steve felt himself being lost in his own head before jumping as Miles placed a hand on his arm to snap him out of him. Steve shook himself loose, reminding himself he was talking to a kid, getting broody and existential wasn’t going to cut it here.

“But soon after that Diego and Frida got together again, they got remarried and they stayed married up until she died. He said it was the most wonderful part of his life, the love he had for her, he just realized it a little too late.” Steve glanced at the boy once more. His attempt to save this conversation wasn’t much better, it was still pretty dark and not the happy ending kids generally liked but Miles took it in stride.

"I think sometimes when you love a person you can forgive them for doing mean things to you and that's okay. But sometimes when you love someone and they hurt you, you should forgive them but move on even if you're not together anymore. Like with my Dad and Mom. They hurt each other and got a divorce but they still love each and now they're friends. Maybe that could be you and Mr. Tony and you could move on." Steve didn't miss Miles glancing over at his dad.

“Miles…”

“I’m just saying that you and my Dad have gotten close over the past few months and me and Peter wouldn’t mind if you guys got together. Besides, I know my Dad likes you a lot.” Steve looked down at the kid not really knowing what to say.

“What are you guys talking about?” Sam asked, walking up hand in hand with Peter.

“Um, just Diego Rivera.” Steve said, nodding to the painting.

“Mexican artist, right?” Sam looked over the painting along with Miles and Peter and Steve found himself having a hard time not staring at Sam. He wondered if Miles was right, if Sam actually liked him. And if he did, was Steve even in a place where he could be in a relationship with Sam? What if it ended badly? What if Tony came back and Steve did something stupid?

“Hey, you okay?” Sam asked, rubbing his hand up and down his arm.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, don’t mind me.” Sam gave him a look before he was suddenly pulled away by Miles and Peter towards another sculpture in the exhibit. Peter looked back at Steve with a wide smile on his face and Steve returned the smile despite the troubling thoughts roiling around in his head. Any decision he made would have to be one that was best for Peter as well as himself. He watched Peter interacting with Miles and Sam and tried to imagine himself, Tony and Peter here. He could see it. In a perfect world, Tony would be sober and they would be a family and they would be able to work their issues out but this wasn’t a perfect world. That didn’t mean he and Sam couldn’t be something good, something right.

Maybe that’s what was scaring him more than anything else.

**~*~*~**

Sam liked to join Misty, Miles and Danny at least once every two weeks for dinner so they could all talk and make sure they were always on the same page as they were raising a child between the three of them. These dinners could have been awkward and to be fair they started that way. Sam had never hated Danny but he certainly didn’t like him and it was still weird and tense between himself and Misty starting out. Eventually, through time and therapy and a lot of talking, they managed to hit something like normal where the three adults could joke amicably with each other while having dinner with Miles and there was no malicious undercurrent in their conversations.

Sam peeked into the living room where Miles and Danny were sitting on the couch playing video games while Misty and Sam washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen together. He was glad his son and Danny got along, it was better for everyone involved really.

“So Danny and I have been talking lately.” Misty started.

“Yeah, what about?” Sam asked.

“We’ve started discussing our future, you know. Our careers, if we see marriage in the future, if we want to have kids. That sort of thing.”

“Really?”

“I just thought that you should know. I mean you’re such a big part of our lives, I don’t want to blindside you with anything. Mind you, nothing’s set in stone. We’re just talking.”

“Oh, you guys are totally getting married one day.” Sam replied with a shrug as his scrubbed a plate.

“You don’t know that.” Misty replied, knocking her shoulder against his.

“Yes, I do. I’m happy for you guys. I mean, granted things didn’t start out the traditional way but sometimes things like this happen and you don’t really meet people who fit you the way Danny fits you so don’t worry me and what I think, it’s your life. Marry Danny, pop out enough cute kids for a little league’s team.”

“Now, I don’t know about all of that. I’m good with just Miles for another few years.” They were comfortably silent for a few moments before Misty started again.

“So…” Misty said, trailing off.

“So?”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

“Missy, you know I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, really. Why would you think I’m seeing anyone?”

“Just the fact that Miles has been mentioning someone named Steve a lot whenever you come up. He says you guys go out with him and his son all the time. He says he thinks you have a crush on Steve and that Steve probably has a crush on you.” Sam rolled his eyes. Miles and his big mouth.

“Steve and I are just friends and that’s only because Miles and his son Peter are friends.”

“Oh really? So you guys don’t have a habit of holding hands, having intimate conversations, flirting and gazing into each other’s eyes?”

“That kid, I swear--”

“So you admit it! You like this guy. Sammy, I’m so happy! Just so you know, I already ran him through all the databases I could think of and he’s clean. Like squeaky clean, not even a ticket.”

“You did a background check on him?” Sam asked incredulously.

“Of course I did. I need to know whose around Miles. He could be a pedophile. And you need to be safe too, what if he was a serial killer? It was for my boys’ protection.”

“Uh-huh, you’re just nosy. You wanted to know what he looked like.”

“Hey, protective not nosy. And he is _fine._ Good job Sam. I mean if I didn’t have Danny…” Sam rolled his eyes and focused on the dishes.

“It doesn’t matter because he doesn’t want to be in a relationship.”

“How do you know that?”

“He’ll flirt with me one second, then backtrack the next, then bat his eyes at me the next. It’s confusing. Probably because he’s confused with his ex-husband being in recovery right now. You know, maybe they’ll want to get back together once he’s better.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to put your life and what you want on hold. You don’t even know his ex-husband and you’re going to step aside on something that could turn out to be good? If this is confusing, you make it simple. Tell him how you feel and what you want and if he doesn’t want the same thing, fine. You’re a big boy, you can handle yourself. But there’s also the chance that he feels the same way. You don’t know until you talk to him. So talk to him, stop being such a do-do head.”

“Really? Do-do head’s the best you had.”

“There’s a kid in the house, I’m being PG.” Misty started poking him in the side then.

“Talk. To. Him.” She said, each word punctuated by a poke.

“Ow, ow. Okay, jeez, I’ll talk to him, just stop.” Misty smiled widely before turning back to the food she was putting up in the fridge. Sam was reluctant about this; he didn’t know if it was worth throwing away what could be a great friendship by admitting his budding feelings. Could any conversation with them really go over well?

**~*~*~**

The duplex apartment wasn’t bad; it wasn’t half bad at all. It was pre-furnished and decorated in a way that Tony would know Steve would like. Peter and Steve’s bedrooms were upstairs, there was also a guest room up there along with a master bathroom and another bathroom and a playroom for Peter. Downstairs was a large living space, a kitchen/dining room hybrid and then past some beautiful French doors was a library that was somehow decorated with Steve’s paintings and drawings. He hadn’t bothered to take them from the house in California, it hadn’t seemed as important at the time but apparently Tony shipped them out. Steve got help from Bucky and Natasha to move all of the boxes he had in storage to the duplex but Sam was the one who helped him to unpack things while Peter stayed with his mother so Steve didn’t have to worry about him.

They started upstairs, putting away all of the accessories he had for the bathroom, Steve and Peter’s clothes and any other furniture they had with Steve’s direction before they made their way downstairs. Steve was putting away the kitchen appliances when he noticed that Sam was no longer in the living room working on the coffee table where Steve left him. He walked out of the kitchen and peered around before he saw that the French doors were open towards the library. Steve walked towards the room and edged his way in. Sam was peering at his art hung on the walls. Some of them were just his drawings from his sketchbook but others were actual paintings that he had spent hours on. Canvas, murals, oil paintings. Sam was stopped in front of a painting of a woman hanging out of an apartment window hanging clothes onto a line. Her blonde hair blew in the wind in such a way that obscured her face and one of her legs which rested on the ledge had bleeding blisters on the bottom of it.

“Hey.” Sam glanced over at him before looking back at the painting.

“Hi.”

“You like it?” Steve asked, feeling a little nervous.

“Yeah, I do. It reminds me of my mother, catching her in the few vulnerable moments when me and my siblings were supposed to be playing outside, seeing just how tired she really was sometimes.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to portray when I painted it. I was thinking of my mother.” Sam whipped around on him so fast Steve worried he was going to snap his neck.

“You painted this?”

“I told you I was an artist.”

“Steve!” Sam said, smacking him lightly on the arm causing Steve to laugh.

“Why did you ever stop? You’re good. You should be selling out galleries, making millions. You're better than good.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so but, I don’t know, I think that time has passed.”

“Are you kidding? Anyone who doesn’t see how talented you are is crazy. Dude, you really gotta start believing in yourself more.” Steve chuckled and looked down trying to hide the blush crawling up his neck to his cheeks.

“I don’t get you sometimes, Steve Rogers.” Sam said with wonderment in his voice.

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes you are this… confident guy, an asshole mind you, but you can flirt with the best of them.” Steve looked over at Sam trying to think of a way to respond to that but Sam continued.

“But you’re humble to the point of annoyance and honestly, your modesty is starting to make me look bad. You’re lucky I like you so much otherwise I’d stop hanging out with you.” Steve stared at Sam as he stood mumbling to himself with his eyes trained on the painting before him. Steve looked down biting his lip. He felt his mouth itching to say the words to Sam that he had wanted to say since the museum but he also was being bogged down by his worries. Sam obviously could tell his inner conflict and he didn’t even know if it was fair of him to drag Sam into a potential disaster but Sam had a say in this too, it was his life and he had a right to make a choice.

“I… I like you.”

“I would hope so; we’re friends after all.” Sam joked. Steve stayed silent staring at Sam until the man turned to look and after a moment his eyes widened.

“Oh. _Oh_.”

“You don’t have to say it back or anything about it at all, I just do feel that way about you but I also know that I’m a mess and I don’t want to drag you into anything involving me and Tony. I have no idea what our relationship will look like once he’s out of rehab and it’ll be a lot.”

“I think that’s up to me, how I feel about everything, right?” Sam said softly. Steve nodded silently and waited for Sam to say his piece.

“You know, I like you too. I know how messy figuring out relationships post-divorce can be, especially when your kids are involved. I’ve had some disastrous dates after Misty that just really wasn’t going to go anywhere or things that were only ever going to be temporary but that’s not how I feel about you. I feel like we could be an actual relationship. If you don’t want to do this because you want to get back with Tony that’s something different.”

“It’s not that I want to get back together with him it’s that I… when Bruce told me that Tony was in recovery I couldn’t help but feel happy, I couldn’t help but imagine him out and better and remember the good times we had together.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that Steve. You still love him, you should, he was your husband. If you didn’t have any fond memories or feelings of him at all, that’d be more concerning. I understand. I still love Misty, hell I adore that woman but I also know that if we were still married I don’t know that that would be the case. Tony will always be in your heart. I think that’s something you have to let yourself accept and then allow yourself to be happy.” Steve gave Sam a watery smile.

“You have all the best advice, you know that.” Sam shrugged.

“I’m a dad. It’s tricks of the trade.”

“I know what would make me happy right now.”

“What’s that?”

“Will you go on a date with me?”

“Steve. Are you sure you’re ready for that? Cause as much as I like you I kinda don’t want my heart to be dragged through the mud later on.”

“I think that’s always a risk in any relationship. I hope I don’t do that to you and that you don’t do to me, not intentionally anyway. But I know how I feel about you. It scares me because I know how well that turned out for me last time but I don’t want to be afraid to fall for someone because of what happened before and I’ve honestly never met someone who just gets me the way you do. I think I’d be a fool to pass up this opportunity.” Sam gave him a somewhat shy smile, something he didn’t think he’d ever see on the man’s face.

“Okay. I… I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“Okay.” Steve repeated, nodding with a smile on his face as he stared at Sam’s softened features before the man abruptly turned from him and cleared his throat.

“Seriously though, if you don’t set up a gallery or something I’m gonna kick your ass.”

“Maybe one day.” Steve was facing many maybes in his life at this point. Maybe he could take up artistry again. Maybe he and Sam wouldn’t work out. Maybe this stint in rehab for Tony wouldn’t take. Maybe he’d turn out to be a horrible father for Peter. But maybe his life could turn out to be something great. Maybe Sam was a huge part of that. Maybe in him he could find a love he always wanted and had failed to find so far. Maybe he really was his soulmate.

**~*~*~**

The restaurant that Steve had taken Sam to on their date was a local Irish place that Steve had practically grown up in. Most of the older employees knew him by name and Sam didn’t miss the slight Irish brogue that came out in Steve’s vernacular when he talked to them. The food they ate was really good courtesy of Steve guiding him through the menu and their conversation was just as easy as ever. They mostly talked about childhood stories they hadn’t shared before, some escapades after their divorce as well as spending a good amount of time with Sam trying to coerce Steve into calling a company to set up a gallery showing for him because damn it, he was good.

“For the last time, I will think about it Sam.” Steve said as they walked away from the restaurant in a park nearby.

“You better actually think about it for real and not just pretend to be thinking about it.” Sam warned him, already knowing Steve probably wouldn’t give it the proper thought it deserved.

“I promise.” Steve exclaimed, throwing his arms up in surrender. Sam rolled his eyes and looked out at the park, he wouldn’t bet on that. The fountain in the middle of the walk way caught his eye and after a thought he changed course and jogged towards it. He was digging in his pocket for loose change when Steve caught up to him.

“What are you doing?”

“Wishing it on a coin so you’ll actually do it.”

“Really?” Steve said, giving him a deadpan look.

“Yes, really.”

“You know if I know what your wish is it won’t come true.”

“…I’ll just amend it a little.” Sam replied closing his eyes while holding a quarter up to his lips.

“I can’t believe you’re actually doing this.” Steve mumbled.

“Shh, I’m thinking.” Sam made his wish for Steve to find the courage to put his art out there and find success before he kissed the coin and tossed it into the fountain. He turned to Steve who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What?”

“You’re ridiculous.” Steve commented.

“Hey now, is that anyway to talk to your date? Why don’t you make a wish? I’m sure you--” Sam was cut off suddenly when Steve grabbed him by the lapels of his blazer and pulled him forward into a kiss. Sam quickly shook off his shock and reciprocated the kiss, burying his hand into Steve’s hair and tilting his head slightly into the kiss. The kiss was simple, not too far or too passionate. It was easy like with most things with them. They pulled away softly from each other, Sam taking a deep breath to gather himself.

“Okay, that was… okay.”

“Just okay?” Steve asked, cracking his eyes open.

“Well, I’m not going to stroke your ego.” Sam replied, straightening up and not letting on how that simple kiss affected him. Steve chuckled before grabbing Sam’s hand, kissing the back of it and pulling them along on their walk. Sam glanced at their hands, then at Steve’s face before looking away to hide the smile wanting to break out across his face. He didn’t know where this new confidence came from but he knew he liked it. If anything it only solidified how much he wanted this, how much he wanted this with Steve and how high his hopes were for them to be something great.


End file.
